Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy center Cesar Ruiz (image via Bleacher Report)
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It’s that time of year when concentration turns from bowl games to recruiting while we wait for the games to begin again. With early enrollees making permanent choices in the second half of this month, and then National Signing Day coming in early February, it’s about to get crazy around here. Here’s my look at whom I think will finish out the class. A couple notes beforehand:
- I don’t like to project decommitments, because I don’t like to give the impression that Michigan fans want players gone. However, I will point out players who are shaky in their commitments, along with some potential replacements down below.
- Fully committed players are in regular type. Projected commitments are in bold. Shaky commitments are in italics.
- Just because I list them here does not mean I am comfortable putting in a Crystal Ball for each of these players to Michigan. Naturally, I am more confident in some picks than others.
Hit the jump for my projected class:
- QB Dylan McCaffrey
- RB A.J. Dillon
- RB O’Maury Samuels
- RB Kurt Taylor
- FB Ben Mason
- WR Tarik Black
- WR Nico Collins
- WR Brad Hawkins
- WR Donovan Peoples-Jones
- OT Chuck Filiaga
- OT Ja’Raymond Hall
- OT Kai-Leon Herbert
- OT Joel Honigford
- OT Andrew Stueber
- OT Isaiah Wilson
- C Cesar Ruiz
- DE James Hudson
- DE Deron Irving-Bey
- DE Corey Malone-Hatcher
- DE Kwity Paye
- DE Luiji Vilain
- DT Donovan Jeter
- DT Phillip Paea
- LB Jordan Anthony
- LB Joshua Ross
- LB Drew Singleton
- CB Benjamin St-Juste
- CB Ambry Thomas
- S Jaylen Kelly-Powell
- S J’Marick Woods
Other potential players if spots open up:
- RB Eno Benjamin
- RB Najee Harris
- TE Dalton Keene
- WR Oliver Martin
- OT Mekhi Becton
- OG/DT Tedarrell Slaton
- DT Aubrey Solomon
- DT Jay Tufele
- LB Willie Gay
- CB Elijah Hicks
- CB Brandon Sebastian
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I’d really like to see Tedarrell Slaton throttle the SAT and come here at the position of his choice.
I was glad to see Banks to ND as, of the huge guys, I thought he was the least mobile. I like Mekhi Becton a lot.
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Drew Singleton perhaps?
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Argh! Whenever I make these lists, I always forget someone. I have my Crystal Ball on Singleton, too. I added him and removed Aubrey Solomon. Thanks.
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Nooooo!!!!! Don’t remove Aubrey solomon.
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I hope we get Aubrey Solomon. I’d rather get him than a couple of these other guys. But it’s hard to get guys to re-commit, and I’m more confident in Singleton (obviously) than Solomon.
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We need another dominant interior DL. The 2015 class was too bare at that position. Onwenu and Gary could be there if Onwenu stays on that side of the ball and Gary moves in, but I don’t like the depth of talent right now.
Jeter is a bit of a tweener, and Paea could end up on the offensive side of the ball.
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30 is the number in your mind?
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Yeah, 30 is the number in my mind. We always hear about the number being higher than it ends up. I’ve heard 32 or 33, but last year we heard it would be 31 or so, and it ended up being 29.
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The guy that I don’t have a good feeling about is Nico Collins. For absolutely no real reason. Just a feeling.
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Same. IF they close the deal with Black and DPJ and also take Hawkins I’m not sure it makes a ton of sense either, given the impressive WR class last year.
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That’s a helluva haul at LB if it comes through.
Still think the class is light on DB but I know some of the WR can maybe move. That may be a priority in the ’18 class.
Beyond the above, the the last big hope is that they get that true elite DT in Solomon or Tufele.
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I don’t follow recruiting as closely as some, but am confident we’ll be fine everywhere except DT (last two years I felt that way about OT)
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There are legit questions at some positions.
FB: Can be filled by walk-ons but you prefer to have someone in the pipeline. Mason may or may not be that guy. Worry level: Low, since 2 seniors return and position switches are likely from DE/LB/RB.
OL: They seem to be addressing this with numbers but anything less than 6 commits would be concerning. Worry level: About to evaporate. (Till you start thinking about the short-term again.)
DL: 3 returning players (Mone, Hurst, Dumfour) + Gary. And don’t be surprised if other SDEs end up folding inside also (e.g., Marshall). Paea, Hudson, and Jeter are all interior prospects realistically. If Paea moves to OL there will be reciprocal move to DL. Would be great to get another guy of course but I think the worries here are overstated. Michigan is doing the right thing in focusing on the elite prospects. Worry level: Eyes on the prize(s)
DB: Michigan needed meaningful snaps from 8 DBs this year. (Lewis, Stribling, Clark, Peppers, Thomas, Hill, Watson, Kinnel) and tried a few other young players occasionally.
Next year’s 8, errr 6, will look something like: Clark, Watson, Hill, Kinnel, Hudson, Metellus. They’ll need a couple other guys: Washington, Long, and the freshman will all get a crack but that’s a ton of inexperience even if you feel very confident in the new starters. If Clark isn’t back, you are straight-up relying on freshman. Typically you want more numbers to address the inherent uncertainty of that.
You can also see why Hudson moving to LB to inherit Peppers’ sometimes-LB role isn’t especially realistic.
I like the guys we’re getting but there are some boom/bust players in the mix like Washington and St.Juste and some guys with potential limitations to nickel.
Worry level: high
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This is why I think they’ll end up with another DB in the class somehow. If things go well at WR, OL, DT, it may come in the form of gray/blue/PWO, which would be fine.
If some of the blue-chippers end up elsewhere, I would guess you start hearing new names including DBs committed elsewhere.
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I think Kingston Davis could make a lethal FB, but probably doesn’t want to… he’s one I could see transferring
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Yeah, I’ve been told repeatedly that he wants to be a tailback.
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So you are not projecting Najee Harris eh… Would love to have him…
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No. It’s possible, but I just see him sticking with Alabama.
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Now that he has decomitted, who do you think takes Dillon’s place?
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It’s looking more and more like Najee Harris.
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That’d be crazy… my own pessimistic view of 2017 (9-3) would go out the window
#1 RB?
#1 WR?
Yes please!
GO BLUE
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Given the lack of depth on the OL, I am surprised the staff is rumored to have turned away Banks. Honestly, I prefer to have one more OL than one more RB. Look at Leonard Fournette. He cant do anything against Alabama becos Lsu’s OL was dominated by Bama’s DL
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But at least you know who Leonard Fournette is! That’s because he is special. He makes plays, is a great back and will probably be a top 10 draft pick. Yes, I would have liked to have Leatherwood and I hope we get Wilson (not on the same level as Leatherwood) but even if we had Alabama’s offensive line we don’t have a RB that is special. Nor do we have a future first round NFL draft pick on the roster.
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Yep. A generic RB can be an all-conference player behind a dominant OL. This was the foundation of the Schembechler-Moeller-Carr era offenses at Michigan. None of those backs did much of anything in the NFL but the OLs got a whole bunch of them drafted. Meanwhile the OLs turned out a bunch of multi-year NFL starters and some HOFers.
A ‘special back’ can make a difference but will get get shut down if the OL is getting beat up. The fame and credit RBs get is way outsized. The OLs are the ones who “make” the plays for the “play-makers”.
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So what’s the after-the-fact assessment of Barry Sanders with the Lions? If you had to say what % was him being Sanders, and what % was the OL, what would you say?
I ask because I’ve long wondered what Barry Sanders would have done in the NFL had he been part of an NFL team with a dominant OL.
Related: was Sanders capable of being run down from behind? Or did he have elite speed that almost nobody would catch if he got into the open?
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One of a kind outlier. Dude made his own yards like nobody else, before or after.
But you know – he lacked speed so he must not have been very good. Perhaps he should have been moved to FB.
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Sanders was capable of being run down from behind. He was no Chris Johnson. Of course, he had the power and the vision to make you miss and pull out of those tackles from behind, but Sanders wasn’t a speedster. It’s funny when you watch him run, because his gait changed when he got to full speed, and you could see him slowing down. It’s almost like he was faster going 90% than when he got up to 100% effort.
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Watch his film. He’s less mobile than Beckton ….. I’d go as far as to say far less mobile. I think the kid we just offered as a PWO with the commitment to Kent State has better feet than Banks. Although it’s hard to tell about Bank’s feet because he’s so heavy.
I always wish for kids to do well and maybe Banks becomes the second coming of ….. pick your favorite left tackle, but I couldn’t see it.
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I agree that Becton is more mobile, but I disagree about Eddie Brecht. But yes, Banks could afford to lose some weight.
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I may rue the loss of Banks, but not yet. If we get the other guys we’re supposed to get, it shouldn’t be a huge issue.
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With Wilson going to UGA, it looks like Becton has an opening. They turned down Banks as a plan B, now Filiaga and Becton are high priority.
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Yeah, I think Becton probably fills an OL spot now. He’s a major step down from Wilson, though.
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What happened to Dytarious Johnson? I thought he was coming in after prep school, just like Brad Hawkins.
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According to Sam Webb, Michigan is no longer pursuing him.
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